Wangyue Peak

Beneath Danyun Peak, twenty disciples had already gathered. Short and slight, Qin Fengming stood among them, looking rather frail. Yet everyone treated him with great warmth. Even Lin Yongfeng, who had taken first place, nodded and smiled at him.

After several matches, no one looked down on Qin Fengming anymore.

Not long afterward, Elder Wang appeared before them. After a brief inspection, he led everyone toward a distant mountain peak.

Wangyue Peak was even taller than Danyun Peak, with dense forests and jagged rocks. When they reached the summit, several dozen people were already standing in the plaza. An imposing old man in white stood solemnly in the center.

"Hahaha, I'm sorry for making Hall Master Li wait so long. These disciples are the top twenty from this competition. Bringing them here means my task is complete. From now on, I'll have to trouble Hall Master Li to look after them."

Upon hearing Elder Wang's words, the old man in white standing upright immediately broke into a smile. He clasped his hands and answered courteously, "This is what this Li should do. I'm sorry for the trouble of having Elder Wang come here personally. Please, come inside for some tea. I'll take care of these disciples."

The two seemed to be mere acquaintances rather than close friends. After exchanging polite greetings, Elder Wang followed an Elite Hall disciple into the main hall.

Only after Elder Wang had disappeared did the old man in white turn around. He gazed at Qin Fengming and the others, his eyes suddenly filled with authority. After sweeping his gaze over them, he spoke:

"The twenty of you are now officially elite disciples of Xia Valley. There are many houses in the rear section of Wangyue Peak, and you may each choose one. Under ordinary circumstances, you may find a secluded place to practice your martial arts. Should anything happen, however, you must obey the sect's orders. Do you understand?"

Qin Fengming and the others were naturally extremely respectful. They all bowed and answered in unison, "This disciple understands."

Looking at them, Hall Master Li's expression softened somewhat. He pointed at the five old men beside him and continued, "These five are elders of the Elite Hall, and each possesses extremely profound martial arts. If you have any questions about martial arts, you may go to the Elite Hall and seek guidance from these five elders or me."

By this point, Qin Fengming already understood that the Elite Hall was entirely different from the Hundred Refinements Hall. The Hundred Refinements Hall was where disciples entered the sect to cultivate, and where most disciples first came into contact with martial arts. Therefore, dedicated masters were needed to teach them carefully.

The Elite Hall, however, was completely different in nature. It was a gathering place for disciples who had already achieved mastery in martial arts. Each disciple possessed deep attainments, and all they lacked was further refinement.

Thus, having a fixed master was no longer as important.

"Our sect grants a reward to all of you who won this competition. In a moment, follow me to the Scripture Repository and each choose one secret manual useful to you. For now, go collect your supplies and choose your residences. In half an hour, gather here again, and we'll go to the Scripture Repository together."

After the old man in white finished speaking, he turned around and stopped paying attention to them. Instead, he led the five elders into the hall behind him.

After the old man in white and the others left, two young men dressed in purple robes came out. They looked at Qin Fengming and the others before speaking indifferently, "Fellow junior brothers, please follow the two of us to collect your supplies."

After saying this, they turned around without hesitation and walked toward a side hall.

Qin Fengming received only three sets of purple robes and thirty taels of silver. There was nothing else at all. After putting away the bundle, the group walked toward a dense forest deep in the rear mountains of Wangyue Peak.

More than a hundred houses were scattered throughout the forest. These houses had been built among the trees. Qin Fengming roughly counted them and found that there were indeed more than a hundred. Each house had its own separate courtyard, making the treatment here utterly incomparable to that of the Hundred Refinements Hall.

"Fellow junior brothers, this is where you'll live from now on. You may each choose any house here as your permanent residence."

Everyone was delighted at the sight. Qin Fengming was not picky. He entered a courtyard near the edge, pushed open the door, and walked inside. He found three connected rooms: a bedroom, a living room, and a study. All the necessities of daily life were provided.

Seeing this, he could not help but grow greatly excited. The treatment of elite disciples was indeed worlds apart from that of the Hundred Refinements Hall.

Half an hour later, Qin Fengming and the other nineteen disciples gathered once more in the original plaza.

"By now, you should have all found a place to live. The matter remaining is to follow me to the Scripture Repository and collect your rewards. This trip to the Scripture Repository is limited to one manual per person. Anyone who violates this rule will be severely punished."

Standing in the plaza, Hall Master Li appeared as promised and spoke to them in a stern tone. Afterward, he strode toward the rear mountains.

After walking for the better part of a meal, Qin Fengming and the others arrived at a dense forest in the rear mountains.

Looking up, they saw a great hall appear before them. Built against the mountain, it was tall and magnificent, radiating grandeur. Four young men in purple robes stood before the entrance. When Hall Master Li arrived, they all bowed in salute.

Hall Master Li nodded at the four young men in purple robes but said nothing. He walked straight up the steps.

Seeing this, none of the disciples dared to make a sound. They followed closely behind him.

After pushing open the doors and entering the hall, Qin Fengming discovered several long tables arranged across the first floor. Many books and manuals were placed on their surfaces.

"The books on this floor mainly introduce medicinal herbs, medicine, and alchemy. If any of you master even one of them, becoming a renowned physician would be entirely within reach. Those who are interested may choose for themselves." Hall Master Li turned to look at the disciples and smiled faintly.

After waiting for quite some time, he saw that no one moved. He nodded slightly, then turned and walked toward the stairs leading to the second floor.

The second floor had a structure similar to the first. Several tables stood there as well, covered with many books and manuals.

"The books placed on this floor cover all kinds of weapons and martial arts from the martial world, including fist techniques and palm arts. It even contains quite a few martial manuals that have long been lost in the jianghu. You may choose freely now, but remember: each person may take only one."

As soon as Hall Master Li finished speaking, more than a dozen disciples immediately stepped forward. They gathered around the several tables and began searching carefully.

Even then, Qin Fengming and two other disciples still had not moved. It seemed that none of the three had any interest in these martial arts manuals.

Qin Fengming had not moved because he noticed that there were stairs on one side of the second floor leading to the third. Since the first floor held miscellaneous knowledge and the second floor held martial arts manuals, the third floor surely contained even more precious books.

Seeing that Qin Fengming and the other two had no intention of choosing anything, Hall Master Li smiled faintly and said, "The books on the third floor above are manuals on internal energy and hidden weapons. If you're willing, you may go up and take a look."

Qin Fengming and the other two were overjoyed upon hearing this.

Just as he had expected, when Qin Fengming reached the third floor, he found that the enormous room contained only two tables in the center. Each table held merely a dozen or so books. Compared with the two floors below, the difference was like heaven and earth.

The other two disciples each found an internal energy manual and descended the third floor with delighted faces.

Qin Fengming flipped through more than a dozen books in succession, but not one pleased him. Then, a book titled Detailed Explanation of Mechanisms suddenly caught his attention. After casually flipping through it, Qin Fengming was delighted.

He carefully tucked it into his robe, then descended from the third floor as well.